Sensitive information privacy act

Part 4: Unity - the Party’s source of power
Unity is both a precious tradition and the source of combat power and leadership capacity of the Communist Party of Vietnam over the past 86 years. In hard times or difficulties, the Party always upholds unity, turning it into a "citadel" generating invincible strength for the Party. Now, the unity of the Party has once again been shown in the 12th National Party Congress, contributing to the success of the event.
Active guard against misinformation undermining unity within the Party
Not only prior to, but also during the 12th National Party Congress, hostile forces posted on the internet information claiming that the Party Central Committee was in a battle for power; that the Party Central Committee was divided concerning the issue of nomination of candidates for key positions; that there was no democratic practice in the election at the 12th National Party Congress.
That information is totally alien to reality. That is what … [Read more...] about No-one can deny the leadership of the Party (Part 4)

Questions such as your mom's maiden name are often used by companies to improve online security. The theft of nude celebrity photos from Apple Inc. accounts shows the ease with which those questions can be hacked.
Apple yesterday said that a spate of nude photos from actresses including Jennifer Lawrence that were recently posted online were individually stolen from Apple accounts. The celebrity accounts were "compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that is all too common on the Internet," the Cupertino, California-based company said in a statement. The incident underscores how techniques adopted by companies to step up security are far from foolproof, exposing a risk for everyday Internet users. As people post more sensitive information to social networks, it has become easier for criminals to obtain the answers to security questions. That means consumers can rarely rely on just one set of defenses and have to add more … [Read more...] about Apple celebrity nude-photo hack shows risk in security questions

The whereabouts of whistleblower Edward Snowden were shrouded in mystery on Monday as US lawmakers demanded his immediate extradition from Hong Kong over his sensational leaking of an Internet surveillance program.
The private contractor has become an instant hero for transparency advocates and libertarians around the globe following his exposure of the NSA's worldwide monitoring of private users web traffic and phone records.
But the US government appeared to be gearing up to take action against Snowden on Monday with senior lawmakers branding his actions as "treason" and saying he should be extradited from Hong Kong as quickly as possible.
California's Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein -- chair of the Senate Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence -- declined to go into specifics but said US authorities were vigorously pursuing Snowden.
"All the departments are proceeding, I think, aggressively," Feinstein told US media, describing Snowden's actions as "treason." … [Read more...] about US plans ‘aggressive’ pursuit of intel whistleblower

The mysterious caller claimed to be from Microsoft and offered step-by-step instructions to repair damage from a software virus. The electric power companies weren't falling for it.
The caller, who was never traced or identified, helpfully instructed the companies to enable specific features in their computers that actually would have created a trapdoor in their networks. That vulnerability would have allowed hackers to shut down a plant and thrown thousands of customers into the dark.
The power employees hung up on the caller and ignored the advice.
The incident from February, documented by one of the government's emergency cyber-response teams, shows the persistent threat of electronic attacks and intrusions that could disrupt the country's most critical industries.
The House this coming week will consider legislation to better defend these and other corporate networks from foreign governments, cybercriminals and terrorist groups. But deep divisions over how best to handle the … [Read more...] about A divided Congress confronts a rising cyberthreat

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday, ride-hailing service provider Uber revealed that hackers had filched compromised personal data from 57 million riders and drivers in 2016. Yes, that disclosure came one year after the fact.What’s worse: The company’s employees chose to pay off the hackers to destroy the data, instead of notifying the people who had been affected by the breach. Two executives, including chief security officer Joe Sullivan, were fired as a result of the incident.At the same time, Singapore commuters had spoken up about fraudulent transactions charged to their credit cards due to “phantom” rides, although the company has since told Channel NewsAsia that it has “no reason” to believe that the two incidents are linked.This isn’t the first time users’ data have been compromised after a company failed to safeguard the information this year. AXA Insurance said in September that personal data of 5,400 of … [Read more...] about Our convenience is coming at a (security) cost

The study reflects that while governments across Asia-Pacific are strategically looking at adopting IT solutions to streamline and enhance the efficiency of their work, management of data and delivery of public services, a networked environment is being actively targeted by cyber threats affecting safety & security of government data, national security, critical infrastructure, and international diplomacy. In Asia, it is estimated that there are over five million IP addresses connected to millions of infected devices observed in the region, including India and China. And among the top 25 infected countries globally, eight of them are from Asia. The Asian countries in the list are India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.These are just two of the latest findings shared by the team at Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU). In fact, according to the latest third-party studies and statistics, Asia Pacific is currently the most … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s commitment to support governments, businesses and users against cybercrime

File photo of a woman using a smartphone. (AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan) WASHINGTON: A new battle is brewing over privacy for mobile devices, after moves by Google and Apple to toughen the encryption of their mobile devices sparked complaints from law enforcement. The issue is part of a long-running debate over whether tech gadgets should have privacy-protecting encryption which makes it difficult for law enforcement to access in time-sensitive investigations.FBI director James Comey reignited the issue last week, criticising Apple and Google for new measures that keep smartphones locked down - without even the company holding the keys to unlock the data. "What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves beyond the law," the FBI chief said, warning that law enforcement may be denied timely access, even with a warrant, in cases ranging from child kidnapping to terrorism.Former FBI criminal division chief Ronald Hosko made a similar … [Read more...] about New privacy battle looms after moves by Apple, Google